"May I ask, Lord Yang, what should we do?" Jia She sat in his chair, toying with two smooth Buddhist prayer beads in his hands. He looked every bit the part of a wealthy landowner, playing with a toy, his expression somewhat mocking.
He looked like a dissolute old man, a lecherous old ladybug!
Yang Cong glanced at Jia She. The Jia family, after all, was a once-powerful clan, though now in decline, they were still closely associated with this kind of scoundrel.
"We'll do whatever the imperial decree says. What, does Lord Jia perhaps have some brilliant idea? I'd like to learn from him!"
His smile was forced, a shrewd man always ready to set traps for others to gain benefits for himself.
Clearly, Yang Cong had no good intentions. He simply disliked Jia She. He himself was a seasoned womanizer, having once set his sights on a courtesan, and the two still harbored some grudges.
Jia She usually didn't take him seriously, and he had already planned how to teach him a lesson!
This kind of trash who relies on hereditary titles is completely different from someone like him, who studied diligently and worked his way up from the bottom through his own abilities.
If the Yang family hadn't declined, and if he weren't from a collateral branch, he would definitely be more than just a prefect.
Although Jia She wasn't particularly talented, seeing Yang Cong's malicious smile, he immediately knew there was treachery involved. So he shook his head, "Not at all, not at all, I'm too inexperienced to offer any guidance. We'll just listen to what Lord Yang says!"
Listen! That's giving you face! Want to do as he says? Sorry, it depends on his mood!
The four great families had intermarried, and seeing Jia She's attitude, it was clear that this was their shared stance.
Want money?
Not a single penny!
Want grain?
Not a single grain!
They weren't worried about Lu Ming taking action. Not to mention that Chang'an still had 20,000 city defense troops; relying on the city's fortifications, even a simple attack would be difficult.
Moreover, attacking Chang'an without authorization is treason!
The other nobles, seeing the tense atmosphere between the two, sensed that things were getting complicated. This was a matter of distributing spoils.
"These are difficult times, with war raging everywhere. Externally, wolves are poised to strike; internally, there are treacherous villains. You are all loyal subjects of the court, receiving the emperor's bounty and obligated to serve him. This office is merely proclaiming the imperial edict. If any of you are dissatisfied, you may go to Luoyang, to the Ministry of Personnel, and speak with the Minister. According to the Ministry of Personnel's proclamation, each family shall contribute according to their rank, official position, and family property. For nobles and relatives, each person shall contribute 1,000 taels of silver and 5,000 dan of millet, decreasing by 100 taels and 100 dan of millet for each rank. Any remaining millet can be exchanged for cash or provisions. The Jia family will contribute 10,000 taels of silver, 10,000 dan of millet, 3,000 catties of meat, and 5,000 catties of heavy supplies, and so on." Yang Cong clearly understood the details of the proclamation, specifying exactly how much each family should contribute.
(Note: This last sentence is a separate, unrelated statement.)
However, Jia She, that lecherous old man, had a conflict with Yang Cong. Relying on his family background, he never took Yang Cong, a scion of a powerful family transferred from Guandong, seriously.
Although the Yang family was a prominent clan, their power was concentrated in the Sili region; they had virtually no influence in Guanzhong.
Even the Yuan family's influence here couldn't compare to the four great families. This was the reality of local tyrants.
Further west, the control of the powerful clans weakened even more. This area was inhabited by the Qiang, Hu, Xiongnu, and Yuezhi peoples, and the people were known for their fierce nature. Control couldn't be described as strong, but rather very weak.
Upon hearing this, Jia She became quite agitated.
He wasn't in charge of the Jia household affairs; that was his younger brother, Jia Zheng. However, he and Jia Zheng had always been at odds, their relationship merely a facade.
The reason was simple: although he was the eldest son, he wasn't in charge and had very little power, so he was bound to harbor resentment.
Large families naturally choose the most capable heir first; if the heir is incompetent, the most virtuous will be chosen.
Even the crown prince isn't necessarily the eldest son. The saying "eldest son, not younger" is just empty talk.
Morality is like clothing; it's presented attractively when needed, but discarded like trash when not.
Jia Zheng and Jia Zhen were both present. Whether it was the Jia family, the Xue family, or the Wang family, everyone felt troubled and uneasy.
Jia Zheng quickly found a problem and cleared his throat. "Sir," he said, "it seems the Minister's proclamation didn't specify how much each family should contribute; it only asked us to cooperate. You know every family is facing difficulties. This year's harvest was poor, and with bandits causing trouble, even the road from Chang'an to Luoyang is unsafe. We can't afford that much money and grain."
Disaster relief?
Who knows if Yang Cong will embezzle funds?
Besides, a portion of the donated money and grain must be sent to Luoyang.
Even the imperial envoys have arrived, just to supervise and escort the money and provisions!
They even want the disaster relief funds and provisions! The Ten Attendants are beyond outrageous!
Even life-saving supplies have to be skimmed off; one can only imagine what the people below will be like.
A pound of rice, and they'll probably only get two ounces in the end!
"This official is merely reading the imperial edict. The imperial envoys will soon arrive in Chang'an to supervise the disaster relief donations. If there's nothing else, please return and prepare. The Governor of Liangzhou will arrive in Chang'an in three days." Yang Cong sneered. Lu Ming was a troublemaker, and he also knew something else: Yang Biao, the head of the Yang family, had given his youngest daughter to Lu Ming as a concubine.
That's not all; even Marquis Zhao gave his daughter to Lu Ming as a concubine.
How unbelievable!
The Yang family's daughter was a person of standing, yet she became a concubine!
Truly shameful, disgraceful!
This shows they'd already placed their bets.
Using a daughter to achieve their goal of a political marriage, if Lu Ming rose to prominence, they could use the marriage to develop deeper cooperation.
If Lu Ming failed, it didn't matter; it was just a daughter after all.
Ultimately, the daughter was merely a tool for political marriage.
A tool, a woman from a powerful family, her fate predetermined from the start.
Free love?
Sorry, such a thing didn't exist in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Arranged marriages from the womb were the norm!
Suddenly, Chang'an was in turmoil.
Even the local ruffians felt the pressure; something was brewing.
Looking into the distance, dark clouds gathered; it didn't look like a good day at all!
A storm was brewing; dark clouds pressed down on the city, threatening to crush it!